Button loop



Sept. 9, 1930. I R ODGE 1,775,098

BUTTON LOOP Filed June 28, 1929 FIUJBEFKT J. HEDGE y ATTy Patented Sept. 9, 1930 UN P earner emet I ROBERT J'. HODGE, OF WEST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE AMERICAN BUCKLE COMPANY, OF WEST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECT- ICUT BUTTON LOOP Application filed June 28,

1o entirely closed, but adapted to be automatically opened and closed by the button shank passing therein; and to provide a button loop having a toggle loop base within which the downward strain of a button shank is adapted to maintain a closed button retainer.

The invention consists in the novel constructions, to be hereinafter described or claimed, for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as may herein- 29 after appear.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to one illustrative device embodying the invent-ion and illus trated by the several figures in the accompanying drawing in which the Figure 1 is an elevation of a button loop with the retaining loop closed; the Figure 2 1s a s1de elevation of the button loop; and the Figure 3 is an elevation of the button loop with the retaining loop open.

The invention is not limited to any specific form of construction and the details of the device may be varied to produce the novel features hereinafter claimed, the device as illustrated, however, is a button loop comprising the suspension loop 1, providing the bar 2 around which may be looped a strap upon which the device is intended to depend, and the associated button receiving and re- =.O taining loops 8 and 1, respectively. The button loop is preferably formed of a piece of resilient wire a middle portion of which is bent to form the suspension loop 1, the remaining end portions of the wire depend from the suspension loop to provide the wire side arms 5 and 6 forming the button re ceiving loop 3, the extremities of the arms 5 and 6 being flattened in the plane of the button loop and the flattened portions each 50 provided with abore therethrough. The but- 1929. Serial No. 374,397.

ton receiving loop 4 is preferably made of sheet metal semi-circular toggle bars 7 and 8 bored and pivoted together at an extremity of each bar, the pivoted extremity of the semicircular bar '8 being off-set, as at 9 in the Figure 2, to permit the bars 7 and 8 to be maintained in the same plane. The other end of each bar 7 and 8 is bored and pivoted, one to each of the flattened and bored extremities of the wire arms 5 and 6 in such a manner that a portion of each toggle bar 7 and 8 bey o nd the pivot, normally extends laterally inward and abutting, one against the other, the two bars 7 and 8 together forming a. substantially circular button retaining 47 loop, the outer circumference of the abutting ends of the toggle bars 7 and 8 being shaped together to form a V-shape of a ninety degree included angle providing the cam edges 10 thereon.

The button shank 11, having been received within the button receiving loop 3, may be moved by a downwardly directed force exerted upon the button shank 11 against the cam edges 10, as illustrated by the Figure 1,

and made to expand the arms 5 and 6 as the normally closed entrance to the button retaining loop is thereby forced to the open position, illustrated by the Figure 3, by means of the cam action of the shank 11. is obvious that, upon the seating of the shank 11 within the retaining loop 1, any downwardly pulling strain upon the button will co-operate with the resiliency of thewire loop to return and maintain-the toggle retaining loop in its closed position. The button shank 11 may be released from the holding engagement of the retaining loop 4 by exerting an upwardly directed force against the button, the shank 11 of which will be thrust against the inner circumference of the loop 41 at the base of the V-shaped cam edges 10 with sufficient force to operate the toggle bar 7 and 8 substantially to the relative positions illustrated by the Figure 3, the wire arms 5 and 6 spreading apart in the same manner as upon the entrance of the shank 11 into the retaining loop 4.

I claim:

1. A button loop comprising a resilient 2i 1 I I 1,775,098

Wire the middle portion of which is bent to form a suspension loop, the Wire end portions depending therefrom to provide the side Wire portions of the button receiving loop, each of the Wire extremities being flattened in the plane of the loop and bored therethrough, a toggle retaining loop comprising flat semi-circular toggle bars pivotally connected, one to the other and to the flattened and bored Wire extremities, to lie in the plane of the Wire loop the resiliency of Which co-operates With the tog gle bars to maintain a normally closed entrance to the retaining loop; and cam edges provided by the toggle bars at the entrance andadapted to be operated by the shank of a button receivedwithin the loop and against Whichshank force is exerted along the plane of the loop. a

2. A button loop comprising pivotally associated button receiving loop and circular button retaining loop in axial alignment, the retaining loop comprising toggle jointed sectionshaving a normally closed entrance, and means provided by the sections to automatically expand the entrance by force exerted along the plane of the loop and against the shank of a button engaged Within either of the associated loops.

3. A button loop comprising pivotally associated button receiving loop and button retaining loop in axial alignment, the retaining loop comprising'toggle jointed 'sections providing a normally closed entrance, and means provided by edge portions of the sections to permit the expansion of the entrance by means of force exerted along the plane of the loop and against the shank of a button Within the button receiving loop.

4. A button loop comprising pivotally as sociated button receiving and button retain-V ,ing loops in axial alignment and relatively movable only in the plane of the button loop, the retaining loop being so constructed as to provide a normally closed entrance, and means provided by the retaining loop topermit the expansion of the entranceby means of force exerted along the plane'of the loops and against the shank of a button engaged within the button receiving ROBERT J. ,nonon. 

